The Universe Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is our galaxy made up of?
Millions of stars
What is the Universe made up of?
Billions of galaxies
What is a nebula?
A cloud of gas
What is our galaxy called
The Milky Way
How does gravity contribute to the formation of stars?
It pulls the gas in a nebula together to form a star
What do modern telescopes use?
Parts of the electromagnetic spectrum
What is a spectrometer used for?
To study spectra from light sources e.g. the Sun
What is detected by telescopes?
X-rays, Ultra Violet, microwaves, visible light
What do space probes do?
Collect data and take photos of the Solar System and send it back to Earth.
What do Landers and Rovers do?
Take photos, carry out soul, rock and atmospheric tests and send results back to Earth.
What is the life cycle of a Small (low mass) Star?
Nebula, Protostar, Main sequence, Red Giant, Shell of Gas, White Dwarf, Black Dwarf
What is the life cycle of a big (high mass) Star?
Nebula, Protostar, Main sequence, Red supergiant, neutro star or black hole.
What are two theories for the Universe?
The Steady State, The Big Bang
What is the Big Bang theory?
Says that 13.5 billion years ago the Universe and all the matter started out as a tiny point of energy, the Universe expanded from this point and it still expanding today.
The Steady State
- Universe has always existed
- The Universe in expanding
What supports both the Steady State and the Big Bang?
Red Shift
What is Red Shift?
Black lines on the spectra of distance stars are shifted towards the red end of the spectrum.
What else supports the Big Bang theory?
The discovery of CMB
What is fusion?
The nuclear reaction that happens in stars.Hydrogen is turned into helium in this reaction
What does SETI stand for?
The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence
What do they do?
- Analyse radio waves from space
- Look for signals possibly produced by intelligent life.
What are two theories of the Solar System?
Heliocentric, Geocentric.
What is Heliocentric?
The sun is at the center of the Solar System
What is Geocentric?
Earth is at the center of the Solar System
